


Cassettes

by Master of Unlocking (Hikarinimichitasora)



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Everything that can go wrong will inevitably go wrong, F/M, M/M, and takes you on terrible adventures, but the big brother who gets you drunk, magnus is everyone's big brother, nostalgia fest, who let magnus plan a road trip seriously?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-05-27 17:31:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6293428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hikarinimichitasora/pseuds/Master%20of%20Unlocking
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“What do you want to do?” Clary asked. Magnus’ grin turned almost sinful as he dug into the pocket of his blazer to produce a shiny set of car keys on a glittery cat keychain.</p><p>“Two words, biscuit. Road trip.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cassettes

**Author's Note:**

> From the prompt: _yooo you should totally write this malecAU: magnus the city boy going on a road trip with his friends but they make a wrong turn and end up at some small town in the middle of freaking no where. while there, magnus meets small town guy alec lightwood and alec is taken by the flirty guy wearing more colors than he's used to, and magnus is deeply smitten by alec's blushes._

* * *

**_A-Side: Graduation (Friends Forever) – Vitamin C_ **

* * *

 

“So… As you know, I’ve now graduated,” Magnus said, making a gesture with his hands that signaled to everyone that this was a  _ Big Deal _ . Clary couldn’t help but feel it perhaps  _ was _ a Big Deal. Magnus had been accepted to a college on the West Coast, and that was about as far away from Brooklyn as it was possible to be without taking to the ocean. “And, I’ve decided that our last summer together should be spent memorably.”

 

Beside her, Simon groaned. Magnus rolled his eyes but Clary couldn’t help but smile. The last ‘memorable summer’ they’d spent with Magnus had resulted in both of them being grounded for quite some time.

 

“What do you want to do?” Clary asked. Magnus’ grin turned almost sinful as he dug into the pocket of his blazer to produce a shiny set of car keys on a glittery cat keychain.

 

“Two words, biscuit. Road trip.”

* * *

 

**_B-Side: Good Vibrations – Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch_ **

* * *

 

Magnus got out of his pride and joy at Clary’s house. It was old, it was battered, and it was hardly the kind of car that  _ anyone _ would think someone like Magnus would drive. But, considering the other expenses of a road trip, it was all he could afford. Especially as he’d purchased Simon and Clary’s return flights from LAX to JFK.

 

And really, the Ford Mercury Topez wasn’t so bad. It was purple, which Magnus liked. He’d even redecorated the inside to his tastes a bit by putting in some silk throw cushions and some pink fluffy dice on the rear view mirror. He’d decided he was going to call it Pandemonium, or just Demon for short, as it would be a miracle if it really  _ did _ last them all the way to California.

 

Beside him, Simon looked like he was having second thoughts while Clary was kissing her mother goodbye.

 

“You sure it’s… like… safe for the road?” he asked. “Because this is less  _ Supernatural _ Impala and more… we’re all gonna die horribly in the middle of the desert when it breaks down.”

 

Magnus shrugged and walked round to the trunk, opening it and taking Clary’s bag from her. She smiled at him and he caught a little of her conversation.

 

“Remember Clary, no matter what happens you’re to call every night-“

 

“I know mom.”

 

“And if you get into any trouble you use that credit card-“

 

“Yes mom.”

 

Magnus decided not to get involved and threw the duffel into the back along with his own suitcase and Simon’s rucksack. Magnus didn’t want to consider how few clothes Simon must have brought with him to have been able to fit everything inside a single rucksack.

 

“Are we ready to go?” he asked cheerfully. “The road is calling us, after all!”

 

Jocelyn seemed to have more to say but wisely didn’t try to push it. Clary gave her a bright smile and a wave as she got into the front seat. Simon slunk into the back, spreading out along the back seat as much as he was able.

 

“What music shall listen to?” Magnus asked, opening the glove compartment to reveal around twenty cassette tapes. Clary stared at them, before laughing.

 

“Oh my god. You mean this car doesn’t even have an iPod jack?” she asked, immediately digging through the cassettes. Simon was leaning between them, inspecting the cassettes with a look of complete bewilderment.

 

“We are doing this trip old school and trust me, these were the very best in old school music that Brooklyn’s thrift stores had to offer,” Magnus replied, plucking one of the tapes from Clary’s hand. He put it in, hitting play and allowing the sick beats of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch fill the car.

 

_ -anna know who done this. Marky Mark and I'm here to move you. Rhymes will groove you- _

 

“Oh god, we’re going to die and we’re going to be tortured first,” Simon groaned, sinking further into his seat. Magnus laughed as he pulled away.

* * *

 

**_A-Side: Born Slippy – Underworld_ **

* * *

 

Their first stop was not what Magnus had planned. They had barely made it out of New York before Clary needed the bathroom. Reluctantly Magnus pulled into a rather rundown looking burger place. Clary ran out as fast as she could and scurried inside.

 

It was only then that Magnus  _ really _ looked at where they’d stopped.

 

“Are those bars on the windows?” Simon asked, leaning forward between the front seats. Magnus tapped his fingers against the steering wheel.

 

“I think so,” he said. A moment later a car pulled up next to theirs. No one got out of it.

 

“Maybe she’ll bring us back a burger…?” Simon mused, leaning back. Magnus was taking in the other details of the place. There was barbed wire along the roof and he was pretty sure that there were padlocks on the dumpsters.

 

Another car pulled up beside the other one and a young man got out. He didn’t go into the burger joint though, instead he knocked on Demon’s window, looking around sheepishly. Magnus tore his eyes away from the burger joint to wind the window down.

 

“Can I help you?” he asked. The young man put his hands in his pockets awkwardly.

 

“Yeah… It’s me… Y’know… I called earlier about the… stuff,” the man said. Magnus stared up at him blankly for a few moments before he realized-

 

“I think you’ve got the wrong car,” he said, pointing to the other car in the parking lot. The man turned and saw the other car, his eyes going wide.

 

“Oh, er, right. I mean… I, um… You didn’t see me alright?” he said as he hurriedly walked towards the other car. Magnus slowly wound up the window again. He saw Simon leaning forward again in the rear view mirrors.

 

“Did we just get approached for a drug deal?” he asked. Magnus very carefully reached forward and pushed the button down to lock all the doors of the car.

 

It was then that his phone vibrated across the dashboard. He leaned forward to pick it up, seeing it was from Clary.

 

_ If I don’t make it out of this place alive, tell my mom I love her okay? _

 

Magnus stared at it for a few moments before handing it over his shoulder for Simon to read. He felt that anything he had to say at this moment would not be taken well. Simon’s face looked pale.

 

“I’m gonna get out and-“

 

At that moment, Clary reappeared out of the burger place, jogging to the car. Magnus reached out quickly to unlock the door and she slipped inside, immediately locking the door behind her.

 

“Drive. Just get out of here. That toilet was one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen in my life and I do  _ not _ feel safe here,” Clary said. Magnus didn’t need telling again. He quickly reversed out of the parking lot, getting them back onto the interstate.

 

“Maybe don’t tell your mom about that,” Magnus said once they had driven in silence for a few minutes. Clary turned to look at him, before a slow smile crept up her face. She began to laugh.

 

It was infectious. Soon they were all laughing, making fun of each other’s serious faces, quoting Breaking Bad and airing the tension out of the car.

 

“Well, it can’t get any worse from here on out,” Simon said. Magnus grinned at him.

 

“Now, now, don’t curse us.”

* * *

 

**_B-Side: Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) – Eurhythmics_ **

* * *

 

“I’m getting a little tired,” Magnus said, just outside Columbus, Ohio. He’d been driving for almost eight hours and as it grew darker, his eyes were beginning to droop. He didn’t want to run them off the road.

 

Simon, who had been playing a DS for the last hour or so put it to one side.

 

“Do you want me to drive?” he asked. Magnus considered it, but then shook his head.

 

“Nah. Let’s get some rest,” he said, indicating to turn off the main road and onto a small side road. He followed it until he found a safe place to pull in. Away from the main lights of the freeway it was much darker. Magnus turned off the engine.

 

“Well, we found where our horror movie starts,” Simon commented from the back. Magnus smiled and clambered between the front seats. Simon grumbled as he had to shift to allow Magnus space to crawl into the back. Magnus shot him a grin as he began to rummage around in the trunk for the supplies he’d brought  _ just _ for this idea.

 

“Get out, both of you,” he ordered.

 

“You better not abandon us here,” Clary said, though she got out. Simon followed her. Magnus watched them for a moment as they leaned on the heated bonnet of the car, talking softly in the dark. He then went back to his goal.

 

His hand finally closed around the bag and he pulled it towards him with a shout of triumph. He scrambled out of the car and shut the door behind him.

 

“So, this is the first night of our trip. We have staved off protective parents, eaten food with far too much corn syrup for it to be considered actual food anymore and we have survived what was quite possibly a drug deal,” Magnus said, walking around the car. He climbed onto the bonnet of the car while he talked, eventually sitting crossed legged on the roof of the car. Simon and Clary turned from where they were leaning to look at him.

 

“And so, to the start of a fantastic trip, I would like to drink a toast,” he reached into the back and withdrew a tall boy, throwing it to Simon who promptly dropped it onto the car with a thud. Magnus winced but held back a comment. Clary caught hers with more ease, laughing a little as Simon started rubbing at the paintwork with his sleeve.

 

“To fantastic friends!” Magnus said, popping the can open and raising it above his head.

 

“To morons who drag us on road trips and make us sleep in cars in the middle of fields,” Simon replied, but he raised his can regardless.

 

“I’ll drink to that,” Clary said. Magnus took a deep swig, grimacing at the taste of cheap, warm beer before leaning back on the roof of the car.

 

The stars were laid out like a glittering blanket in a way that they never could be in New York. New York’s glitter was in its skyline, its clubs, its stores, its people, but here the only sparkle was to be found above him in the sky. Soon, he’d be far away from the familiar sparkles he was used to, and the only comfort he’d have would be that these stars looked down at his friends the same as they looked down at him.

 

“ _ You alone will have the stars as no one else has them... In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night...You - only you - will have stars that can laugh(1) _ ,” Magnus quoted, mostly to himself.

“Please don’t get maudlin,” Simon protested. Magnus grinned and sat up.

 

“We can play a drinking game instead,” he suggested. Simon looked down at his can, then at Clary, before shrugging.

 

“Sure.”

* * *

 

**_A-side: Road Rage – Catatonia_ **

* * *

 

“Oh god I wish I was dead,” Clary groaned. She was slumped across the back seat of the car, clutching one of the cushions and a bottle of water. Magnus looked back at her with sympathy.

Perhaps they had overdone it a little the night before. Simon was good enough to drive at least. Clary, however, had been rather terrible at nearly every drinking game they’d played. Now she was suffering for it. Magnus was just glad she’d managed to keep her breakfast down.

 

“Simon… Don’t turn corners like that,” Clary protested. Magnus saw Simon’s eyebrow twitch.

 

“I’m taking them as carefully as I can,” he said. Magnus hid a smile and began to root around I in the tapes for something mellow to listen to until Clary became human again.

 

“Well can’t you-“ Clary began but Magnus looked up just as Simon indicated to pull out. Magnus saw it just in time to reach over and yank the wheel. The car that had been trying to overtake them blared the horn.

 

“Holy shit! I indicated! What the fuck?!” Simon said, his voice high-pitched and panicked. Clary was scrambling for the window.

 

“Why the hell aren’t these windows automatic?” she asked as she started rapidly trying to undo the window. Soon Magnus heard the sound of her emptying her breakfast onto the road. He grimaced.

 

“We should pull over as soon as we can,” he suggested. He leaned round to rub Clary’s back reassuringly, listening to her gurgle out her hangover and wondering if Simon really  _ had _ cursed them.

* * *

 

**_B-Side: Good Luck – Basement Jaxx_ **

* * *

 

“You’re telling me that our indicators aren’t working?” Clary asked. She had a coffee in her hands and sunglasses on, but she sounded a little better. Simon was sat in the driver’s seat while Magnus stood behind the car, his hands on his hips.

 

“Well, are you indicating?” he asked.

 

“Yeah,” Simon called back.

 

“Then yeah, I’m telling you we’ve got no indicators,” Magnus said, walking around the front to the driver’s seat. Clary followed him. Simon had put his head in his hands.

 

“We’re gonna die and we won’t have even got past Indiana,” Simon moaned. Magnus rolled his eyes.

 

“We’re not going to die,” he said. “I thought  _ I _ was the dramatic one,” he pointed out. “I should have brought Ragnor and Catarina.”

 

“Yeah, I was wondering why you didn’t,” Clary said, leaning against the side of the car and blowing on the top of her coffee. Magnus leaned next to her, taking in the parking lot of the out-of-town mall they’d pulled over into. It was really not much to look at to be honest.

 

“Ragnor has already left for England. Catarina is busy with summer courses to get ahead for the year,” Magnus replied. “Not that you’re second best in any way, but they’re not here because they’re bring grown-ups.”

 

“That won’t help us with the car problems,” Simon called from the car.

 

“Sorry to have dragged you on an adventure instead of letting you marathon Star Wars again,” Magnus snapped back. Clary got a peculiar look on her face when he said it.

 

“Wait here,” she said, handing her coffee to Magnus before starting to run into the mall. Magnus sighed and took a sip of the coffee while he waited. Simon was sat in a moody silence, tapping his fingers impatiently against the wheel.

 

Clary returned with a Toys’R’Us bag, grinning as she handed it to Magnus.

 

“I have your indicators!” she said, withdrawing a toy lightsaber with glee. Magnus took it from her, pressing the button to activate the light. It made a  _ whoosh _ sound.

 

“Oh, you have got to let me play with that later,” Simon said, perking up for the first time that morning. Magnus handed it back to Clary. He guessed that would have to do.

* * *

 

**_A-Side: Missing – Everything But The Girl_ **

* * *

 

“This isn’t the right road,” Magnus said, peering into the growing darkness. Simon glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

 

“Well, if we hadn’t slept in a field last night, we’d all still have working phones with GPS to be able to work things out, wouldn’t we?” he replied. Magnus glared at him.

 

“Fine. Let’s just stop at the next town, stay at the nearest motel and see what we can do about getting charged and fixing the car and getting this trip back on track,” Magnus conceded defeat. Simon nodded, glancing in the back seat. Clary had passed out hours ago, her hangover finally claiming her.

 

They pulled into a motel that looked like it had seen better days. Magnus guessed that described most motels though. He got out of the car and left Simon to wake Clary. Walking up to the main desk, he tried to make himself a little more presentable.

 

One thing he hadn’t taken into account on this road trip was that he wouldn’t have easy access to showers at all times. It was playing havoc with his style. He fidgeted with his clothes as he opened the door to reception, ringing the bell to call the receptionist.

 

The man who came to the front desk looked Central or South American. His dark hair was slicked back from his face. He had a sharpness to his features that Magnus could admire, though his scowl marred his attractiveness.

 

“Hello. I’d like a room for three people please,” Magnus said. The man was wearing a name tag that read ‘Raphael’, which was definitely a pretty name. It was a shame that its own was frowning at Magnus like he’d just asked if he could defecate on the counter.

 

“Names,” he said, his voice accented with Spanish, starting to type on the computer. Magnus kept his smile firmly in place.

 

“Magnus Bane, Clarissa Fray and Simon Lewis,” he said. Raphael dutifully typed it into the computer.

 

“How long you staying?” he asked. Magnus thought for a moment.

 

“Well, the truth is, we’re having car trouble. Until it’s fixed, I don’t know how long we’ll be here. Can we book day by day?” he asked. At that moment Clary and Simon walked into reception. Clary looked sleepy, Simon was carrying both of their bags.

 

When he turned back to Raphael he noticed that the other was looking at them with rather intently.

 

“It’s fine,” Raphael said, looking back to the computer. “You’ll want to go down to the Herondale garage in the morning. They’ll give you a fair price.”

 

Magnus was surprised to receive actual, useful advice, but he made sure not to let it show on his face.

 

“Much appreciated,” he said, leaning forward on the counter.

 

“Cash or credit?” Raphael asked. Magnus pulled his credit card out of his wallet with a flourish and slid it across the counter. Raphael seemed to be determined not to look at him directly again as he swiped it and handed it back.

 

“Room 107,” he said, placing a key to the room carefully on the counter. Magnus took it and threw it to Clary who caught it, checking the room number and nodding to Simon. The two of them left.

 

“Two more things. Where’s good to eat here? And where’s good to drink here?” he asked. Raphael thought about it for a moment.

 

“There’s a place you can do both if you want,” he said. “Taki’s. If you say Raphael sent you, they’ll actually serve you the real alcohol and not the watered down piss they usually serve out-of-towners.”

 

Magnus grinned. “You’re an amazing man, Raphael,” he said. Raphael didn’t look at all enthused by Magnus’ praise.

 

“Not so amazing that I won’t rat you all out as underage if you cause any trouble there,” he replied.

 

“Oh, we’ll be no trouble at all,” he promised, waving goodbye and whistling as he walked to their room.

* * *

 

**_B-Side: Firestarter – The Prodigy_ **

* * *

 

It turned out that Taki’s was just a bar. Magnus looked up at it with a sigh. It  _ did _ have fairy lights around the porch, which Magnus  _ guessed _ was cute. Beside him, Simon was shifting from foot to foot.

 

“You think Clary will be alright by herself?” Simon asked. Magnus turned to him with an unimpressed look.

 

“You’re still crushing on her?” he asked. Simon looked flustered. “She’ll be fine. She wants to get some real rest in case she has to drive tomorrow. I don’t blame her. Now, please focus on the matter at hand. How likely is it that the whole bar will go silent when we walk in here?”

 

“On a scale of you not wearing eyeliner to you managing to get us kicked out of this place, I’d say, yeah, they’re going to look at us,” Simon replied. Magnus gave Simon’s shoulder a shove.

 

“I’m toned down!” he protested, holding out his arms. In truth, he  _ was _ . He had chosen a shirt that was only  _ two _ colors, and even though his pants were bright red, they were  _ not _ in any way  _ inappropriate _ . Even his eyeliner was toned down, with only a small amount of glitter around the edges of his eyes.

 

“Yeah. You’re… blending in,” Simon said, gesturing to the pick-up trucks that lined the bar’s parking lot. Magnus turned his nose up.

 

“I would not be seen dead in flannel,” he replied. Simon, who was wearing a flannel shirt, didn’t even look offended.

 

“Let’s get some food, I’m starving,” he said, pushing open the door and waiting for Magnus to follow.

 

To Magnus’ surprise, the bar didn’t screech to a halt when they entered. A few people did look at them, but it seemed more in curiosity than anything else. Magnus followed Simon to the bar and perched on a chair next to him.

 

There was  _ country _ music playing.

 

“Well, if the party isn’t to your liking, you make the party,” Magnus muttered to himself. Simon gave him a worried glance.

 

“Magnus, no party. I mean it,” he said. Magnus stuck his tongue out at him. Simon shook his head.

 

“What would you like?”

 

The man behind the bar had long dark hair pulled into a ponytail. His eyes were friendly and when he leaned forward, Magnus saw he had a tattoo along his temple. How… interesting.

 

“Do you have cocktails?” Magnus asked. The bartender laughed a little.

 

“What are you after?” He asked. Magnus smiled at him.

 

“Let’s start with a Sidecar and move on from there,” he said. The bartender nodded and then turned to Simon, who shrugged.

 

“Beer,” he said. The bartender nodded and walked away to prepare their drinks. Simon turned to Magnus. “Stop flirting.”

 

“I would never flirt with a Hicksville bartender,” Magnus said, pretending to be offended. “Why, do you think he liked me?”

 

Simon was about to reply when the door opened again. Magnus turned to look, only expecting for it to be a casual glance but his gaze became fixed on the entrancing creature that walked through the door.

 

He was tall and pale. His messy dark hair fell onto his forehead in a way that suggested he ran his hands through it when he thought. His eyes were the bluest eyes that Magnus had ever seen. They were framed perfectly by dark brows and high cheekbones that led down to a mouth whose slightly chapped lips looked more than kissable.

 

“Magnus,  _ no _ ,” Simon said and Magnus regretted ever admitting to him that his type was dark hair and blue eyes.

  
“Magnus,  _ yes _ ,” Magnus replied, standing up. At that moment the bartender returned with their drinks and Magnus picked his up, following the pretty boy to a booth towards the back of the bar. He heard Simon curse, slamming down some dollar bills on the bar and getting to his feet to follow him.

 

Pretty-Boy walked to a table where two other teenagers were sat. Magnus guessed they were all underage the same as him or Simon. To his surprise, Raphael was also sat with them. He must have finished his shift at the motel while he and Simon showered. Magnus set his shoulders back and, ignoring Simon’s protests, took a step forward.

* * *

 

**_A-Side: Do Ya Think I’m Sexy - N-Trance_ **

* * *

 

Alec slid into the booth, reaching out for the beer that Jace slid across to him. Izzy was deep in conversation with Raphael about something, their voices hushed.

 

“Glad you finally made it. I was thinking of sending a search party,” Jace said, taking a swig of his own beer. Alec frowned.

 

“Sorry. We got a call for a tow just after you left. Had to head out and bring them back into town,” he explained. Jace shrugged, leaning back on the booth. He saw the moment Jace’s eyes slid off him to something over his shoulder and turned.

 

“Er, can we help you?” Alec asked. The Asian man stood there, no probably a teenager like himself, whatever. In any case, the  _ person _ stood in front of him was certainly an out-of-towner. His hair was gelled up and he was wearing  _ make-up _ . His clothes were loud in a way that Alec had only seen people get away with on TV. He had never met someone who dressed like that in their daily lives.

 

“I saw Raphael over here and thought I’d say hi,” the Asian man said. Behind him, a rather unremarkable looking teen was hovering with a beer. His body language suggested he was apologising for his friend already. “But then I saw  _ you _ , and I thought I’d make an introduction.”

 

Alec blinked. Beside him he heard Jace shift to lean forward.

 

“Jace Herondale,” he said, holding out his hand. The Asian man looked at it for a moment and then put his drink down on the table, taking Jace’s and shaking it as quickly as he could. Izzy and Raphael had stopped talking.

 

“I wasn’t talking to you, but I guess we’ll all have to be good friends by the end of the night,” the man said. His friend reached forward and put his hand on his shoulder.

 

“Magnus, we should let them get on with their drinks,” the friend was saying but then Izzy stood up with a bright smile.

 

“Hi. I’m Isabelle Lightwood. You know Raphael already, right? And that’s my brother, Alec,” she said, holding out her hand. The Asian man, ‘Magnus’, Alec supposed, shook Izzy’s hand much more enthusiastically.

 

“Alec? Is that short for Alexander? An interesting name. The most famous Alexander was bloodthirsty and, depending on whose account you read, either in love with his comrade in battle or his horse,” Magnus replied, taking a seat. Alec couldn’t help but smile a little.

 

“Yeah, I’ve heard of Alexander the Great. I prefer Alec though,” he said. Magnus offered his hand to shake and Alec took it.

 

“Magnus Bane,” Magnus’ hand felt warm in his. He looked in the other’s eyes and saw a look he couldn’t quite interpret. He looked away, pulling away his hand.

 

Magnus’ friend sat down too, forcing Isabelle and Raphael to move over a little to accompany them all at the booth.

 

“I’m Simon, Magnus’ wrangler,” the friend introduced himself. Alec heard Izzy let out a small laugh. Magnus seemed to take it in his stride though.

 

“Oh now, Simon, let’s not be dramatic. I’m not  _ that _ bad,” Magnus protested. Alec glanced at Jace to see the the other looked confused, but also slightly amused.

 

“You’re the out-of-towners with the car trouble right?” Jace asked. Simon nodded.

 

“Yeah. Indicators not working. We’ve been using a lightsaber to indicate the last forty miles,” he explained. Alec’s mouth fell open.

 

“You’re joking right? That’s insanely dangerous,” he said. Simon looked glum.

 

“Yeah.  _ Not _ my idea,” he said. Alec turned to Magnus who was sipping his drink quietly. Sensing he was being looked at, Magnus returned the look and then looked alarmed. He put his drink down quickly.

 

“Not my idea either, I might add! The third member of our party is the one with the lightsabers,” he corrected. Alec rubbed at his forehead.

 

“Well, bring it down to the garage in the morning and I’ll look it over for you,” he promised. Magnus’ smile became much wider.

 

“I’m sure that Demon looks forward to being in your capable hands,” Magnus said and there was innuendo in there somewhere. Alec felt his face heat.

 

“I’ll see what I can do,” he replied. Jace was looking between the two of them for a moment before he turned resolutely and drew Isabelle, Raphael and Simon into a conversation about their road trip so far.

 

That left Alec to talk to Magnus, who seemed extremely pleased by the arrangement.

 

“So, what does one do for fun around here?” Magnus asked. Alec tried to think of something that someone who looked like Magnus would consider  _ fun _ .

 

“Er… I… I guess this is it,” Alec said, gesturing to the bar. Magnus looked around and then took another drink.

 

“Your hobby is sitting in here?” He asked. Alec shook his head.

 

“Oh, no. My hobby is archery,” he said. Magnus looked more interested by that and he leaned forward.

 

“What made you take up archery? Hunting?” He asked. Alec wondered why he felt suddenly so nervous.

 

“No. I’ve never killed anything. I guess, I just like the quiet in archery. It’s a very… solitary thing,” he explained realising as he did so that no one had ever asked him before. Everyone had just accepted that it was something he did. They had never asked  _ why _ .

 

“It sounds very meditative,” Magnus replied. Alec noticed his nails were painted, black with silver glitter that looked like stars in the night sky.

 

“Yeah,” Alec agreed and tried to kick start his brain to keep the conversation going. Magnus was running his finger around the rim of the glass.

 

“You’re a man of few words,” Magnus said after a while. Alec nodded.

 

“Er, yeah, sorry. I don’t… I…” he trailed off. He wished he could form a sentence. He wasn’t sure why he was suddenly so tongue-tied. This had never happened to him before.

 

“Don’t worry. I like it. I am more than capable of filling up silences,” Magnus said and then launched into a story about a burger place and a drug deal that had Alec in stitches the way Magnus told it.

 

Isabelle caught his eye from across the table, a knowing smile on her face. Alec met her eyes briefly before Magnus drew him back into another story.

 

Perhaps it was okay… to be himself with these out-of-towners… even if only for a little while?

**Author's Note:**

> (1) Le Petit Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
> 
> Playlist for Side A can be found [here](http://groovesharks.org/?playlist=e7500abf2ec9124ead3ab8b1443426fb244a3b31).


End file.
